


Where the Heart Is

by Unending Lights (UnendingLights), UnendingLights



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Domestic, Eventual SouYo, M/M, November/December, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3720394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnendingLights/pseuds/Unending%20Lights, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnendingLights/pseuds/UnendingLights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His family is in the hospital - it's too quiet, now. Souji is lonely and afraid of the future, but Yosuke gives him the warmth and sound he craves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Futility

**Author's Note:**

> So. First fic. Ever (and, of course, it's a longfic. Or it will be. I think.). If anyone is OOC, I humbly apologize, as I do for any other storytelling errors. If you have any comments on how I might improve, I would love to hear them. 
> 
> Also, I should probably mention that this was done (is being done?) in response to a kinkmeme prompt: http://badbadbathhouse.livejournal.com/1990.html?thread=11762886#t11762886

Was it all for nothing?

Souji stared hard at the two-thirds-full bottle of sake in his hands. Dojima had bought it a couple days before the accident. He didn't have much use for it now, and God only knew if he ever would.  
_No, don't think like that_ , some weakening part of him protested. _He'll be fine. They'll both be fine. Everything's turned out alright thus far._

  
But that was just it, wasn't it? Sure, there had been close calls, but even those had become rare in the past few months. Shadows great and small had fallen before them like grass before a mower, they'd had the power of gods within them; they'd been undefeated, unbreakable, indestructible, _invincible_.

  
And yet...

  
And yet Nanako had been taken and Dojima injured.

  
Souji's hand closed around the cap, gripped... relaxed.

  
Souji's memory of the three days following was a blur of the twisting-kaleidoscope sensation of switching Personas, the breaking-bonds-unfolding-rising-freedom-vulnerability of summoning them, the flow of energy through his veins, exhaustion that came with the battles and Personas, the weight of his katana, the pain of wounds and the warmth of healing spells, the red of blood, the awful, _constant_ , gut-freezing and breath-stealing panic of _ohmyGodIhavetosaveherIhavetofindherwhatifshe'shurtwhatifshe's_ -

  
They'd saved her in three days; a record. They'd torn Namatame's shadow – or whatever the hell that thing had been – apart with a vengeance, a white-hot, righteous fury.

  
Or had it only been him that had burned like that?

  
Did it matter?

  
Nanako was just shy of comatose, waking only in brief, pain-hazed spans before falling again into restless sleep. Dojima was little better, his injuries threatening to tear open again with every movement. They were both growing thinner, the latter worried sick over the former and the former in no condition to eat, and every question asked of the doctors was met with tepid responses, “maybe”'s and “I don't know”'s chief among them.

  
Souji's hand gripped, twisted, and the cap came off. The smell of alcohol hit him immediately. He'd never drank before, but...

  
But their luck had to end, didn't it? They'd cheated death too many times, there had been too many – too few? - close calls. There had been too many victories, an unbroken streak that had to break.  
Now it had. His family was near death and the fog was a constant now, as if to mock all that they had accomplished.

  
All their pain, all their struggle...

  
Was it all for nothing, in the end?

  
Souji put the bottle to his lips, lifted, and eagerly swallowed what came gushing out.

*

*

*

 

He was awakened by broken glass screaming into his brain by route of his eyes.

  
Or, as it was otherwise known, fog-filtered, watery sunlight.

  
He squeezed his eyes tight and buried his head in the crook of a stiff elbow with a pained groan, trying to put his hazy thoughts into some semblance of order – not easily accomplished with the pulsating, clenched-fist pain in his head.

  
He fuzzily remembered maybe thirty minutes after he'd started drinking. A blur of crying and ranting and pacing, downing more and more of the burning liquid the whole while, until... until everything went blank. He must have blacked out, then.

  
The bottle was still in his right hand, he realized. He pulled it up to his face and cracked an eye open to stare at it.

  
Dry. Did he drink the whole thing, or had whatever had been left spilled onto the floor after he'd passed out there?

  
What time was it, anyway?

  
The adrenaline-spiking realization that it was midway through classes sent him surging to his feet – and then sinking to his knees with a strangled whimper as headache, dizziness, and nausea surged with him.

  
Souji swallowed his rising gorge and sat down, defeated. “Oh, to hell with it,” he croaked thickly, and lay back down. He'd never actually skipped school before, and the day was half over anyway. If it hadn't been, then...

  
If it hadn't been, then there still would have been no damned point.

He was awakened for the second time by someone yelling in his ear and shaking him. Without opening his eyes he swung with thoughtless anger and connected with a satisfying thump. Even better, it shut up whoever had woken him.

  
Except... That meant that there was someone in the house with him. That probably bore investigation, didn't it?

  
Did it?

  
Souji cracked an eye open to see Yosuke rubbing his cheek and glaring down at him with a mixture of anger and fear. Panic?

  
“Dude, what the hell!”

  
“Could ask you the same thing,” Souji slurred. “What're you doin' 'ere?”

  
“Checking up on you! You missed school today – which just doesn't happen – and then I come here and find you unconscious on the floor!”

  
“No reason to wake me like that,” he grumbled, though he knew it was an illogical statement.

  
“No reason to – dude, seriously!”

  
“Stop yelling,” Souji curled up and wrapped his arms over his face. “Go away.”

  
"Go a- There's an empty bottle of booze on the floor, you stink, I've never seen you – dude, I thought you were dead!”

  
That, finally, broke the comfortable, protective shell of _annoyance_ , and suddenly he just felt... tired. So, so tired.

  
But those weren't tears of exhaustion. He thought he could hide them until his next breath hitched and shuddered tellingly.

  
“Hey, partner...” Yosuke's voice was soft and lower now as he either sat or knelt next to him. A brief image flashed in Souji's head of a day by the riverbank, the sun low in the sky and Yosuke, trembling and grieving, in his arms, one that morphed into the phantom sensation of Yosuke's arms drawing around his own shoulders.

  
“I'm sorry...” The whispered words spilled from him almost of their own accord.

  
“Sorry for what?”  
  
_Sorry for being a failure. Sorry for letting Nanako and Dojima get hurt. Sorry for breaking down like this, for being an idiot. Sorry for making you worry._  
“You just...”  
_I'm just a puny child with delusions of grandeur._

  
“Dude, I get it. I mean, I don't... I don't blame you for... this.”

  
They were silent for a few minutes, then Yosuke squeezed Souji's shoulder. “Hey, man, let's get you cleaned up. Do you realize you've got some puke on you?”

  
For some reason that made Souji chuckle, albeit without mirth. No, he hadn't, but at one point he'd thought dimly that alcohol and morning breath didn't quite account for the vile taste in his mouth.  
He achieved a standing position and managed to keep it, aided by Yosuke's shoulder and the fact that the hangover had abated somewhat. Yosuke helped him to the bathroom so he could shower, then offered to toss his clothes in the wash and prepare a breakfast of aspirin, water, and toast, which Souji gratefully accepted.

  
For the first few minutes – five, ten, he didn't know and hardly cared – he did nothing more than stand there, relishing the sensation of warm, cleansing water running over his greasy skin, then let his mind wander aimlessly while he washed. He stood in front of the mirror for a while afterward, as if his reflection might speak answers to him, might tell him where exactly he'd gone wrong.  
It certainly wouldn't surprise me, at this point.

  
He felt better, though, he decided as he finally descended to the kitchen. Not good, to be sure, but better. Physically, although he was still hungover, simple cleanliness was incredibly revitalizing. Emotionally, he least felt more like making an effort to slog through the day and less like drinking himself into oblivion. Or to death, as Yosuke had apparently feared.

  
“Did you really think I was dead?” Souji asked when he'd seated himself at the table, nibbling on a piece of toast.

  
“Well, I dunno, man. I mean, you were just lying on the floor with an empty bottle nearby and... alcohol poisoning's a thing.”

  
“Yeah,” Souji murmured softly. “I'm sorry.”

  
“Dude, you don't gotta apologize. Like I said, I don't really blame you. I just wish... Nah, nevermind.”

  
“What?”

  
“Nothing.”

  
“Bull.”

  
“Nothing important.”

 

  
Souji stared. Yosuke squirmed. “Dude, really.”  
“Really.”

  
“Yeah, really.”

  
Souji didn't relent, and Yosuke groaned and looked in the general direction of the TV. “Just... call one of us next time, alright?”

  
Souji's right brow went up. “I wasn't trying to get drunk for fun, you know.”

  
“No, I mean... argh. Next time you're feeling like that, alright? Call one of us. Hell, call me, I don't care what time it is or what day it is, just... Just to make sure you don't do something _really_ stupid, at least.”

  
“Oh.” Yosuke's face had gone pink with the embarrassment expected of him, but Souji's was coloring with shame. His already timid appetite quashed entirely, he put down his half-eaten slice of toast and stared at it with watering eyes.

  
He drew in a deep, quiet breath, then let it down slowly, and the stinging behind his eyes eased. “I'll remember that. Thank you.”

  
Yosuke just made an embarrassed sound in his throat. Souji couldn't help but smile a little.

 

 

Yosuke had stayed for another few hours afterward. He'd teased Souji for meticulously washing the single plate and glass that had been used, they'd talked and played video games, and Souji had made a light dinner. He was in decidedly high spirits by the time Yosuke left, and had seen him off with a smile and a wave.

  
That had been an hour ago. Now Souji wasn't smiling.

  
He wasn't crying, either, but that was liable to change at any moment. He was, currently, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling.

  
It was strange, some detached part of himself mused. It was said that one didn't know what one had until it was gone, but even then it could take a while. Souji Seta had become accustomed to quiet, to an absence of sound and energy. He'd mastered the art of retreating into his own mind, and so, with his parents absent more often than not, lived in silence, even when surrounded by the bustle of school or the city. He lived in a quiet chill that, while not comfortable, was at least familiar. He knew how to deal with it.

  
Or he used to, at least. Having lived in unexpected but wholly welcome warmth and sound the past eight months seemed to have eroded that skill severely.

  
Strange.

  
Strange how imagining his own parents within his own home was an unfamiliar thought, while he could quite clearly picture Dojima in the space his head now occupied, sipping coffee and reading the paper or watching the news.

  
Strange how, for sixteen years, he could have imagined siblings only in the abstract, and now it felt entirely natural to say he had a little sister.

  
Strange how, when he imagine 'home', what came to mind was none of the houses he'd shared with his parents. What came to mind was the small, cozy place lived in by Nanako and Ryotaro Dojima.  
Strange how he couldn't imagine it without them in it.

  
Without the smell of coffee and smoke that surrounded Dojima and had become a kind of signature. Without his deep, gruff voice and tired but affectionate eyes.

  
Without Nanako's cheerful laugh, without her bright smiles. Without the sound of a “Hello” or “Big bro.”

  
Without sound. Without energy. Without presence.

  
Quiet. Cold. Alone.

  
For how long?

  
Were they really going to get better?

  
What if they didn't?

  
Souji's next breath was sob.

  
_They're going to die_. It was an awful thought, and he wanted to tell himself that it was absurd, too. He couldn't predict the future. For better or worse, everything could change at any time.

  
But...

  
That detached part of himself recognized the catastrophizing, recognized that his thoughts were beginning to cascade in a way that was both illogical and harmful.

  
But...

  
But it was like an avalanche. The crushing snow and ice had been shaken loose and couldn't be stopped now.

  
Souji's phone was in his trembling hand before he realized he was reaching for it. He stared at it through blurry eyes for a moment before flipping it open and frantically searching for Yosuke's number. He needed sound, energy, life -

  
“What's up, Partner?”

  
“H-help me,” Souji managed to gasp out. His next breath caught in his larynx and grated in an anguished moan.

  
“Wh-whoa, hey, Souji! Wha - _not now, Ted!_ Hey, Partner, talk to me.”

  
“S-sorry, I ...”

  
“No, hey, it's okay, just... you're not... getting drunk again or something, are you?”

  
“No, no, I just...” How did he explain this? How did he explain that the silence was driving him mad? How did he explain his utterly irrational but no less crushing certainty that his sister and uncle were going to die? How did he explain this bizarre terror and grief?

  
“Souji. Hey.” Yosuke's voice was softer now, less pushing and more coaxing. “What, ah... what's on your mind?”

  
Souji wiped his eyes. “I... it's too quiet.”

  
“What, the house?”

  
“ _Yes._ ” The word came out with more force than he intended, carried on a breath his lungs hadn't quite been able to expel until then. “I keep-” he gulped in another breath- “I keep seeing Nanako and Dojima and I keep thinking they're going to die and I know itdoesn'tmakeanysensebutIcan't-” his voice cracked and broke into a sob.

  
“Whoa, whoa, hey, I, uh... deep breath. Deep breath.” He could hear Yosuke inhale exaggeratedly and Souji struggled to follow him. Yosuke held the breath a few seconds, and Souji exhaled only when Yosuke did. They repeated this several times, and, by the end of it, Souji's sobs had abated and he was breathing normally again.

  
“I'm sorry,” Souji rasped after a few moments of silence.

  
“You don't gotta apologize. I mean, I told you you could call me at any time, right?”

  
“Y-yeah, sorry, I just...”

  
“Dude,” Yosuke said with a chuckle. “The apologizing. Stop it.”

  
Souji echoed the laugh and sniffled.

  
“So, uh... You wanna talk?”

  
“I don't know. It was just...” Souji's jaw worked as he cast about for the right words.  
He sighed. “Life was pretty damn quiet before I moved to Inaba, you know? My parents were almost never at home and we never had any pets, so the house was about silent, and... Outside the house I never really had people to talk to. It's another kind of silence. A lot of noise at school and on the streets, but... none of it penetrates. It's just... background noise.  
“But after moving here, I... got used to having Nanako and Dojima around. Really used to it; more than I realized. And now that they're not here... I guess it just got to me. I couldn't stop thinking that they were going to die, and it doesn't make any sense, but...”

  
“Nah, man, I get it. It's like... when you gotta take a test, and you just know that you're gonna fail - I mean, not that this is like a test, or anything, I mean, it's obviously a lot more, uh, significant than... er...”

  
Souji chuckled and shook his head. “It's alright, I know what you're saying.”

  
“Well, I'm glad one of us does.”

  
They shared a brief laugh.

  
_Dear god. How many times can I fall part in one day?_ He supposed he'd technically gotten drunk the previous day, but still.

  
Souji blew a long sigh into the phone. “So... thank you. For helping me with this.”

  
“Dude. You've, like, saved my life. Literally, and that's just the beginning. You're my bro, my Partner! Of course I'm gonna help you with this.”

  
Souji grinned. “Yeah, there is that. Still, though. Thank you.”

  
Yosuke made a small, throaty sound, and Souji could well imagine the light blush that was most likely on his face.

  
“Hey,” Yosuke said after a short pause. “Let's have lunch together on the roof tomorrow. The whole gang.”

  
“...Yeah. That sounds really nice. Although I don't think I'll be able to cook something for everyone.”

  
Yosuke snorted. “Dude, don't worry about it. I'll pick up some bentos from Junes or something.”

  
“Eight?”

  
“Eh. My wallet will survive. Besides,” he added sourly, “I buy steak for Chie often enough. So, actually, maybe I'll only buy seven.”

  
“Do you want to have kids someday? Because that's what you might be sacrificing if you buy food for everyone but Chie.”

  
Yosuke groaned. “Man, I'm gonna start wearing a cup or something. Nah, screw that, I'm gonna buy one of those big suits of armor from Daidara's. Speaking of which, there's something I've been meaning to ask...”

  
“What's that?”

  
“What the _hell_ is with Izanagi's huge, zippered crotchpiece?”

  
Souji broke into full-bellied laughter.

  
“Seriously. Your Persona's appearance is supposed to reflect your personality, right? So what the hell.”

  
“Honestly? I have no idea.”

  
“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you've got girls left, right, and center tripping over themselves to ask you out.”

  
Souji snorted. “That's not really a personality trait.”

  
“Well, it kind of is, if you think about it. So what's your secret?”

  
Souji tsk'ed. “Poor, horny, desperate Yosuke.”

  
“Dude, shut up.”

  
“Hey, you asked.”

  
“I asked what your secret was, not – agh, nevermind."

 

Souji was pretty sure that Yosuke was trying to sound annoyed, but he could hear the grin in his voice.

“But, hey, it's getting late,” Yosuke said after another pause. “If I don't get my ass to bed soon I'm going to regret it, and I'm pretty sure you could used a good night's sleep, yourself.”

  
“Yeah,” Souji admitted with a breath. “I'll see you tomorrow, then.

  
“'Night, Partner.”

  
“'Night, Yosuke.”

  
Souji hit the 'end' button and tossed the cell onto the table. He slung his forearm over his eyes and breathed deeply.

  
_Everything's going to be fine, Seta. You were pretty sure you were all going to die when you fought Yukiko's Shadow, and you didn't. They're not going to die, either. They're strong. However bad things look now, you're all going to get through this._


	2. Breathe

True to his word, Yosuke had purchased bentos for the eight of them, Chie included (and Teddie, although Souji still wasn't sure how he didn't get kicked out of the school since he wasn't a student. He wasn't quite wiling to discount the theory that he just sparkled overwhelmingly at anyone who attempted to do so).

“Are you feeling better then, Senpai?” Rise asked after they'd been eating for a few minutes.

“Yeah, we were all worried about you when you didn't show up yesterday,” Chie added.

“I'll be fine,” Souji assured them, ducking his head a little at the many inquiring gazes fixed on him. “I needed a day, but I'm alright.”

“I get that, Senpai,” Kanji said. “Sometimes you just need to take some time for yourself.”

“But you'll tell us if we can help you, right?” At Yukiko's soft words and concerned eyes, Souji felt a twinge of guilt.

“I will. I promise.”

“Do you think we could go see Nana-chan today?” Teddie asked brightly around a mouthful of food.

“Ted, dude, don't talk with your mouth full,” Yosuke said with an annoyed glance.

Souji nodded at Teddie. “That sounds like a good idea.”

“It's been a few days since last time, hasn't it?” Chie remarked.

“It would be impossible for us all to visit _every_ day,” Naoto pointed out. “But, yes, it would be good to see how she's faring. I am concerned about Dojima-san, too.”

Yosuke's eyes flicked over to Souji. “Eh, he's tough. They both are. I'm sure they're fine.”

Naoto's eyes darkened. “Dojima-san is not so young, and – _ow!_ Hanamura-senpai, what-”

“ _So_ ,” Yosuke interrupted loudly. “Anyone got plans for Sunday?”

There was a round of confused looks from the others, a glare from Naoto, and a moment of dawning comprehension on Rise's face.

“I was thinking of going to Okina,” she said cheerfully. “Get away from the fog for a while - it doesn't seem to have reached that far yet. What about you, Kanji?”  
Kanji's eyes widened slightly. “Huh? Oh, uh.. I'm actually havin' one o' those... classes...”

“Classes?” Teddie chirped. “What classes?”

Kanji's face had gone red and his eyes were trained on his food. “Where I teach how to... make those... dolls. 'n puppets. 'n stuff.”

“I wondered when you were going to start those,” Souji remarked.

“Yeah, well... get the kids' minds off the fog, you know? Lot of 'em are scared.”  
“Aww, Kanji,” Rise gushed. “You're so sweet.” Kanji's face went redder still and he grumbled indecipherably.

There was a round of chuckles at Kanji's expense, prompting an outburst of blustering. Yosuke said something teasing that had Kanji chasing him off the roof and presumably through Yasogami's halls while the rest of them laughed and Yukiko giggled madly.

The world around him was cold, gray, and choked with fog, but Souji felt... _sunny_ within.

*

*

*

When he'd been very young, Souji had been confused when people said they didn't like hospitals. _They're places where sick people go to get better,_ he'd thought with childish innocence. _How can you not like them?_

But, then, he'd never had any personal experience with them.

Now, he understood.

Dojima was asleep when they arrived, so Souji went with the others as they filed into Nanako's room. She was drowsy, but awake.

“Hi, Big Bro,” she rasped with a strained smile.

“Hey there, Nanako,” Souji whispered back, kneeling at the side of the bed and taking her hand gently in his.

“Nana-chan!” Teddie cried in delight, earning scowls from the others at his volume – which he appeared entirely oblivious to.

But Nanako only turned and giggled weakly at him. “Hi, Teddie.”

“How are you feeling?” Souji asked quietly.

“”m tired.”

“Yeah?” Souji's thumb rubbed circles in the back of her hand. “Are you feeling any better today?”

Nanako only shrugged. “I dunno,” she murmured.

Souji let out a breath. Well, it was better than feeling definitely worse.

Yosuke stepped closer and Souji moved to the side a bit to make room.

“Heya, Nanako-chan.”

The girl turned another listless, strained smile at him. Her mumbled greeting was interrupted by a cavernous yawn that ended in a pained grimace. She sank a little further into the bed.

“Y'know, I think you're looking a bit better than last time I saw you,” Yosuke said with a grin.

“You think so?”

“Of course. You keep your chin up, Nanako-chan; you'll have this beat in no time. And, tell you what: when you do, I'll buy you anything you want from Junes.”

Nanako's face lit up. “R-really?”

“Really. Promise.

“And then, Nanako,” Souji added, “we can build that snowman. First thing.”

“ _But,_ ” Yosuke said, “you gotta get better soon, 'kay?”

“'kay,” Nanako agreed with a grin that looked almost healthy.

They spent another twenty minutes with Nanako, after which she fell asleep. Most of the others left then – only Yosuke and Teddie remained while Souji visited with a recently-woken Dojima.

“Hey,” Dojima croaked when Souji stepped into the room.

“Hello. How are you feeling?”

Dojima gave a tiny shrug. “Been better. Could be worse. How's Nanako?”  
Souji looked away and chewed on his lower lip. “She's... looking a little bit better, I think.”

“Yeah?” Souji was heartened by the man's small, tired smile.

“Yosuke offered to buy her whatever she wanted from Junes when she's out of the hospital.”

Dojima snorted weakly. “That boy...”

“I realize waving swords around in public doesn't make the best of first impressions, but he's really not that bad.”

A noncommittal grunt was the response, and Souji chuckled. “Wasn't fun having my nephew brought into the station within days of his arrival.”  
“Would it have been better if we'd waited a month?”

“Eh... not really.”

They both chuckled. Dojima's turned into a brief coughing fit that had him grimacing in pain and Souji stepping closer to his bed, arms reaching as if to help -

_\- if I could summon Isis -_

\- but Dojima waved him off with his right arm while his left is wrapped around his torso, and, of course, Souji couldn't actually help anyway.

 _But I can't summon Isis. I can't use my power here_ _at all_ _. My wonderful, amazing, special power that is completely, utterly, fucking useless in_ _every way_ _that matters._

“'s alright,” Dojima assured him in a tight voice.

“Are you sure? Should I get a nurse?”  
“No, no, I'm fine. I just have to be careful.” Dojima smiled wanly at him. “Hey, really, I'm fine. No need for that face.”

Souji blinked, released his held breath and did his best to school his face out of its bitter expression.

“What about you, then?”  
“Huh?”

“You. Alone, at home. You holding up alright?”

“Y-yeah, yeah.” Souji rubbed the back of his neck. “ I'm doing okay.”  
“You know, if you want to invite some friends over, that's fine. _As long as_ you're asleep in time for school the next day and you don't make a mess.”

Souji's lips curved upward a little. “Thank you.”  
The room was silent for a minute until Dojima yawned heavily.

“Should I let you rest, then?”

“Mmph, yeah. Sorry, it's just hard to keep my eyes open lately.”

“I understand.” Souji left the room with a promise to visit again in a few days, and started down the hall to find Teddy and Yosuke.

 

They were still in the cafeteria, Yosuke trying to explain to Teddie with clearly diminishing patience that “no, you can't have _all_ of those, I don't have the money and you'll get sick,” and Teddy was doing his loud, sparkly best to convince him otherwise.

“Hey,” Souji called from a few dozen feet away.The others snapped their eyes to him.

“Oh, thank god, Partner – can you tell him that he can't clear out the entire rack of muffins?”

“But, Yosuke-”

“Dude, _I don't have the money_ , and... and you're gonna get diabetes.”

“What's... die-a-bee-teez?”

“Means you can't eat any more sugar, or you'll die.”

Souji bit back a chortle as Teddie blanched and stared at Yosuke with wide, round eyes.

“R-really?”

“Oh, yeah. But you won't know when you get it, see; you'll think everything's fine, eat another muffin or topsicle and the next thing you know-” Yosuke pulled a face and made an unhealthy sound in the back of his throat - “you're on your back. Dead.”

Souji could contain himself no longer. His laughter broke with a painful snort. “That's mean, Yosuke,” he managed to gasp out.

Teddie rounded to face Yosuke again with an indignant frown. “You... _meanie!_ You lied to me!”

Yosuke just shrugged.

“Teddie,” Souji said once his laughter had died down, “diabetes is real, but it doesn't quite work that way. That said, I know you've gotten stomach aches from eating too many sweets at once.”

“Well, but...”

“Hey, Souji,” Yosuke interrupted. “Are you done here?”

Souji took a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, we can leave now. But, hey, um... Would the two of you want to come over to my place? Dojima's fine with it, as long as we don't make a mess.”

Teddie gave a delighted cheer, and Yosuke rolled his eyes at him. “Sounds great, Partner.”

*

*

*

“So. How was your uncle?”

Souji could only shrug, staring at his legs crossed in front of him. “About the same as Nanako, really. Not good, but he could be worse.”  
Yosuke shifted next to him on the couch. Teddy was in front of the TV, watching the movie attentively than either of the other two.

Souji sighed and leaned his head back against he wall. “You know what he worst part of it, is?” he asked quietly.

“What?”

“The _helplessness._ The fact that I can't _do_ anything for them.”

His eyes were stinging again. _Oh, dammit._

There was a warmth on his shoulder, then, and he looked over to see Yosuke's squeezing it gently. “I know, man.” A pause, then, “But I meant it when I said that Nanako looked a little better.”  
“Yeah? Honestly, I couldn't tell.”

“Well, I mean, not a _lot_ better – but better. Definitely.”  
Souji manged a strained, but genuine, smile. He wasn't quite sure he believed Yosuke, but he also wasn't sure if that was due to pessimism or logical conclusion drawn from the fact that he knew Yosuke was trying to cheer him up and, well, wouldn't Souji be the first to notice even the tiniest sign of improvement from his sister and uncle?

_Or maybe it's like it was yesterday. Maybe that same pessimism would stop me from noticing... ugh. I'm going to get a headache at this rate._

Souji huffed and looked back at Yosuke.“Would you be up to going into the TV tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure thing, Partner. I'll even call the others and let them know.”

Souji got up shortly to make dinner while Yosuke phoned the rest of the team and ensured that Teddie knew of the coming Saturday's plans. Teddie picked out another movie, apparently by whatever had the most attention-grabbing case.

This time, when Yosuke and Teddie left, his good mood didn't evaporate an hour afterward. It dampened somewhat, as he knew it would, but his irrational fear didn't return, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face and earnest hope in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Yeah. First of all, I must apologize for the absurd delay. My only excuse is that I'm not used to writing this sort of thing, and it turns out I do so at a snail's pace. I will do my best to update more quickly in the future.
> 
> I'm not really happy with this chapter; it feels like it's less substantial than it should be, but I'm at a loss for ideas and... well, it's been almost two months. Jeez.


End file.
